Risks That Must Be Taken
by Guineapigs1
Summary: Donning his natural blonde hair and emerald eyes, Ren sees Kyoko suddenly collapse in a secluded stairwell. He's then faced with a choice. Does he risk revealing his identity by bringing her to his apartment to care for her or keep his long-held secret safe at the expense of her health? ONE SHOT.


**I write LOTS of fanfic, but not all of it makes it into the public eyes. This is a oneshot that I've been wanting to share, but I just never had the time to edit it once I had written it. I told myself that I would only focus on _Timeless Affections_ until I finished it, and now that it's complete I have some more time to spend on new fanfics. In addition, since I have a storage of chapters that just need editing for _Love is Immortal_ , I decided it was finally time to work on some oneshots.**

 **This plot bunny came to my head after rereading parts of the Guam arc and rewatching the anime. This oneshot is set sometime in the future after Ren is done filming as Cain Heel and probably before the whole Lotus in the Mire arc that's going on right now since it doesn't touch on any of the kisses that are causing trouble for our favorite couple or the Kimiko problem. I hope you enjoy!**

 **I do not own Skip Beat!**

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After Ren had initially sent his parents a video of Kuon, they had bombarded Lory with requests that he do another one as soon as possible since they had been deprived of his contact for so long. Ren had denied Lory's requests for him to make another video countless times, but he eventually succumbed to their demands when his mother's birthday rolled around. She had requested that he talk to them as Kuon that day, only wishing to speak over video chat after years of no contact and a single video that was barely holding them back from rushing to Japan to see him again. Lory had jumped at the idea, telling Ren that he had denied contact with his parents for far too long. Lory had seen his progress as Cain Heel and argued that it was time for him to indulge his parents for their love and patience with him being away. Reluctantly, Ren agreed to his mother's request after Lory threatened to put him in the Love Me section if he didn't.

Walking through the halls of LME towards Jelly's trailer in the parking lot, he had his hood over his hair and was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses so that no one would notice him and see his blonde hair that he had dyed just for the video. He had taken every precaution to not reveal his true identity, taking a route through unused hallways so that he could get to the stairwell and go straight to the basement parking lot. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side that day when he came upon Kyoko when going down the stairwell. She was bracing herself against the door to the 3rd floor, and he wanted to make sure she was okay. Except right now he was Kuon, and he couldn't let her find out now or all his hard work over the last few years would have been for nothing. And that's not to mention the repercussions that would come with her realizing he was her childhood prince. He wasn't Tsuruga Ren right now, but he would make sure she was fine after becoming Ren again. He would ignore her for now until he could become her senpai again. His identity had to be more important right now.

That was his thinking until he saw Kyoko collapse. Ignoring the possibility that she would find out his identity, he ran down to where she was, not noticing that his hood fell down and partially exposed his blonde hair. As he looked down at his unconscious love, he realized that her cheeks were flushed and that she was breathing heavily. He had a suspicion of what had caused her to collapse and verified that suspicion when he put his hand to her burning forehead. Even though he had little knowledge of illnesses, he knew for sure that she had a fever much like the one he had when she was his substitute manager.

He needed to get her proper medical care, but that would risk her finding out his identity. It's not like he could just leave her lying on the floor though! Ren instantly made his choice, picked her up bridal style, and ran to the LME parking lot towards his car. He opened the back door and secured her in the back seat before taking his own position in the driver's seat. He slammed the gas pedal and sped away to his apartment, scared that every second her condition was worsening.

When they arrived at his apartment complex, Ren picked her up princess style again and carried her through the doors to the apartment complex. He ran to the elevator and after a few restless seconds of obnoxious elevator music assaulting his ears, Ren finally reached his apartment. Unlocking the door with haste, he ran to his own bedroom with his shoes still on, not caring about the house slippers. The guest bedroom had not been cleaned in a while, so he didn't want to set her down there. After setting her down, he had managed to pull the covers over a now shivering Kyoko then hurried to his apartment complex's grocery store.

He pulled out his phone to look up what he would need to buy and was luckily able to find a list of supplies for caring for someone with a cold online. Coming out of the store with two big shopping bags in hand, he rushed back to his apartment. Bringing out the cold pads that he had bought, he put one on Kyoko's forehead, hoping that he was helping her in some way to relieve the fever. He then brought out cold medicine and put it on the nightstand for when she woke up. Afterwards, he ran to his kitchen to try to at least make a bowl of porridge for her. Fortunately, Ren didn't burn the rice as he cooked the porridge even with his horrid cooking skills and was able to keep the dish on the stove so that it would stay warm. It was a miracle that he could actually cook something even as simple as porridge. When Ren went back to check on Kyoko, he found she was still asleep with the sheets around her soaked in sweat. He decided to change her cold pad but was surprised when she opened her eyes slightly. She blinked her eyes a couple times to look clearly at her surroundings before her eyes landed on the blonde man in front of her with a cup of medicine in his hand. She tried to sit up.

"Please drink this medicine, Mogami-san," Ren said as he brought the medicine cup closer to her face. She slightly opened her mouth as she stared at him, so Ren was able to bring the medicine to her mouth and tip the cup so she could finish it. After she was done swallowing the medicine, she looked at Ren with a quizzical but tired expression. She began to lean back into the bed to go back to sleep. Before she drifted off to sleep though, she smiled at him. "Thank you, Corn," she said before falling asleep. Since she had already fallen asleep, she wasn't able to catch the panicked expression that flashed across Ren's features. He had totally forgotten that he looked like Kuon right now in his haste to get his love proper care! He needed to change back to Ren, but how? He told himself that staying in his apartment to take care of Kyoko while she was sick would be more important than maintaining his identity. Dying his hair would take some time, and that was time away from his sick Kyoko. He looked at his phone to see a string of missed phone calls from Jelly and listened to her voicemails that said she was sick of waiting for him and would dye his hair back the next morning. Maybe he could at least put on his brown contacts so that Kyoko wouldn't find out he was her fairy prince. But then again, he had made a promise to himself that he would tell her everything the next time he met her like this. That was only because he thought that he would meet her on his own accord, not when she was passing out from a cold though!

"Corn? Why are you here?" Kyoko sat up in the bed, feeling better after the medicine and after her fever had gone down a little. Ren didn't know how much time had passed between him giving her the medicine and now, but he knew it must have been at least a few minutes that he had been sitting around worried about the whole Corn=Kuon=Ren situation.

"Wait a second, Kyoko-chan," Ren told her, going to the kitchen to get her a bowl of porridge. When he came back, he saw a now conscious Kyoko looking at her surroundings in surprise. He placed the tray containing the porridge on the bedside table, then sat down next to Kyoko on the bed. He knew he was going to have to tell her his secret, but he was scared. She might run away from him with the knowledge of his true identity, and he really couldn't lose her. She was his most important person.

"Corn? Why are we in Tsuruga-san's apartment? And how are you already speaking in Tsuruga-san's voice? I don't remember you performing the magic to speak like him yet," Kyoko asked.

"I saw Kyoko-chan collapse when I was walking around earlier and rushed to help. I brought you back to Tsuruga-san's apartment to treat your cold," Ren said, berating himself internally for trying to keep up the lie of being a fairy prince instead of her senpai.

"That still doesn't explain how you got into Tsuruga-san's apartment and why you brought me here out of all places," Kyoko said. Ren took a deep breath before continuing. No. He had to tell her his secret now. There was no way he could lie to her about it again.

"I confess that I haven't been completely honest with you about my identity, Kyoko-chan. I understand if you never want to see me again after my secret is revealed," Ren started. He knew that Kyoko was confused, seeing the quizzical expression she wore, but he continued anyways.

"I'm not really a fairy. I'm just a regular boy who met you near that creek in Kyoto so many years ago. My family was visiting my dad's home country, and I met you there when I ventured into the woods around our hotel looking for a place to get away from the stress of my life. I couldn't contact you after I left, since I lived in America where my father worked, which was a whole ocean away from Japan. My life was in America where I tried to follow my father's footsteps. He's an incredibly famous action-movie actor..." Ren said before he was interrupted by Kyoko's gasp.

"Are you Kuon?" Kyoko asked.

"Yes," Ren guiltily admitted.

"I'm so sorry! I mispronounced your name this whole time..." Kyoko tried to bow her head in shame.

"No, Kyoko-chan, it's totally fine! We were kids when we met, and my name is hard to pronounce for six-year-old girls. Actually, at the time I thought that it was adorable how you called me a vegetable," Ren chuckled, earning a giggle from Kyoko as well.

"That's why you looked so similar to Father! But I thought Father implied that you were dead! Why did he act like that?" Kyoko asked.

"In America, I tried to follow in his footsteps and pursue acting, but people expected too much from me as a little kid. I got fired so many times since I couldn't act up to their expectations. I ended up becoming angry and reckless since I was mad that people were expecting the great Hizuri Kuu instead of his son. I joined gangs and took part in the vices of adolescence, then-," Ren's breath hitched as he thought back to Rick's accident.

"I had this friend named Rick who was killed because of me. He was one of the only ones at the time who tried to get me off the dark path I was running down, but I was already too far gone. I was fighting a couple of guys who chased after me with a car, intending to run me over. Rick pushed me out of the way before-" Ren choked as a tear fell onto his cheek. "I caused Rick to die. I'm a murderer. He had a girlfriend named Tina who I also hurt. And she was correct when she yelled at me saying that I was a murderer and that she would never forgive me," Ren's eyes glazed over as he thought back to the traumatic experience, unconsciously gripping his wrist where Rick's watch lay.

"Corn, that's not true! You are not a murderer!" Kyoko took his hand and squeezed it.

"Yes I am. I caused Rick to be killed that day," Ren replied.

"Were you driving the car that ran him over? Was it your intention to kill him that day?" Kyoko stared straight into his emerald eyes as she asked the question.

"No, but-"

"Then please don't call yourself a murderer, Corn. You're anything but a murderer. You didn't want him to die that day. The fact that you still feel remorse over Rick's death proves that you care about him," Kyoko said while leaning forward to give Ren a surprise hug from the side. He let a few tears fall as he melted into her embrace. She could still give him comfort even after knowing what horrible things he did. That's why his heart was going to break after he told her the rest of his secret. She would feel so betrayed, but she needed to know. He broke out of her embrace.

"After Rick's death, I just couldn't continue my life in America. I was haunted by what had happened. That's why I came to Japan. To run away. One of my father's friends, Takarada Lory offered me a chance to restart my life in Japan with a new identity, so I took the chance and came to Japan to act outside of my father's wings. I vowed to not come back home until I had surpassed his wings as an actor under the name of Tsuruga Ren," Ren finished. He looked at Kyoko who had frozen in place at the giant boulder of knowledge that had been dropped on her.

"I understand if you want to run far away from me and never see me again. You must hate me for lying to you. I'm so sorry, Mogami-san," Ren apologized before feeling Kyoko embrace him once again.

"I can't begin to imagine how many struggles you've gone through, Corn. I don't want to run away from you. I admit that I feel a little hurt that you kept this from me, but I understand. We weren't exactly on the best terms when we met again, so I understand why you never told me why you were Corn. As for not telling me how you were Kuon, I also understand that it's a secret that only those directly involved know about. I'm not mad at you, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko smiled, making Ren's heart flutter.

"But I lied to you. I knew that you were the Kyoko-chan from my childhood when you dropped that stone on the stairwell that time. When we met in Guam, I kept up the act and stole a kiss from you for my own satisfaction," Ren admitted.

"Wait, you're right! Why _did_ you lie about being cursed and that only true love's kiss could heal you?" Kyoko asked as she began to wonder if he knew of her feelings and was just playing with her this whole time.

"I-" Ren started to say before his voice caught in his throat. He couldn't say why! That would be a confession! But he had already told her the rest of the truth, and this was the final piece. She accepted his past, so would she also accept his affections? Ren decided in that moment that he needed to take a chance. He needed to know.

"I'm in love with you. I was selfish and wanted to kiss you and the only way to do that was through Corn. I'm so sorry for lying to you like that for my own personal agenda, Mogami-san," Ren admitted.

"You l-love _me_?!" Kyoko asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Ren responded, scared at her reaction.

"How is it possible that the man I have feelings for also loves me back? I thought this couldn't happen in real life," Kyoko muttered, making Ren's heart leap up in his chest. Could he hope?

"Wait, Mogami-san, are you saying that my feelings aren't unrequited?" Ren asked.

"I think I've fallen for you too, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko confessed before Ren tilted her chin up to plant a light kiss on her lips. She smiled at him and pulled him close again, connecting their lips a second time longer than the first.

"I guess I was right when I dreamed that Corn's kiss would be similar to yours," Kyoko blushed.

"Well do you want a reminder of that kiss?" Ren smirked before leaning back to steal her lips once again in a deep and passionate kiss. As they drew apart, she yawned. Ren chuckled. He looked at his nightstand where the bowl of porridge sat. He picked it up with the spoon. "Open up," Ren said. Kyoko opened her mouth, but instead of being met with the spoon, she was met with Ren's lips again. "Ren! Stop being a playboy!" Kyoko pouted before Ren stopped her talking when he pushed the spoon into her mouth. When she had swallowed the porridge and Ren had scooped up more, she gasped as a realization hit her. "Ren! Stop kissing me! You're going to get yourself sick!"

"What's a little cold compared to kissing the girl I've loved since I was ten? Anyways, I know that I'll be in good hands if I do get sick," Ren smirked before stealing her lips once again.

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 **Thank you for reading this oneshot of mine! I have some other oneshots in my fanfic storage that I might upload to this site as well, so look forward to those if you liked this one!**


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